Heels look to end skid against Longhorns

North Carolina's J.P. Tokoto (13) and Brice Johnson hover over UNC Greensboro's RJ White during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill on Dec. 7. North Carolina won 81-50.

The Associated Press

By Adam Smith/Halifax Media Services

Published: Tuesday, December 17, 2013 at 03:54 PM.

CHAPEL HILL – For coach Roy Williams, part of North Carolina’s improvement as a whole is connected to improved role recognition from James Michael McAdoo and J.P. Tokoto. With the Tar Heels trying to find playing time in the post for their crowded rotation that includes Joel James, Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson, Desmond Hubert, Isaiah Hicks and even Jackson Simmons, the 6-foot-9 McAdoo shifts from power forward to small forward – and a spot on the wing – when Williams elects to go big with substitutions.

And that kind of sometimes-awkward lineup movement can send the 6-5 Tokoto from small forward to shooting guard, a spot where North Carolina particularly is lacking with P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald still in NCAA purgatory and unavailable.

“I think they’ve accepted it. I’m not sure that we’ve figured it out yet,” Williams said. “J.P. knows he’s going to spend some time at the ‘2.’ James Michael knows he’s going to spend some time at the ‘3.’ “I do think that they understand what we want them to do. It’s not a natural position for either one of them. I don’t think you can do that in nine games or whatever we’ve played. But they do understand it more.”

Excluding reserve guard Luke Davis, who played 78 seconds at the end of the first half, the Tar Heels used five players off the bench in Saturday’s defeat of Kentucky – Meeks, Johnson, Hubert, Hicks and Simmons, all 6-7 or taller, all accustomed to playing near the basket. McAdoo scored 20 points against Kentucky, his best output since Nov. 17, and attacked often, which resulted in 12 points on 19 free-throw attempts. He also added five rebounds and four assists, marking the first time in his 88-game career that he led the team in assists.

“As far as turning the page, that’s something we did a long time ago,” McAdoo said, referring to playing without Hairston and McDonald.

Tokoto, who dealt with second-half foul trouble, delivered his third double-digit scoring effort in four games with 15 points against Kentucky. The sophomore finished one point shy of his career high and also hit the fourth 3-pointer of his career. The victory Saturday was another satisfying one and meant that in a span of 21 days, North Carolina swept the top three teams from the preseason Associated Press poll. Louisville and Michigan State are the Tar Heels’ other recent conquests. Tokoto almost bristled after the Kentucky game when asked if the Tar Heels have discovered the proper way to use the current parts they have at their disposal.

“With P.J. and Leslie back, yeah, we’d be a lot better,” he said. “But without them right now, we have a great team. That’s what kind of pisses (ticks) us off, people trying to write us off because we don’t have our scorers. We can still do a lot of things without them.”

Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published
without permission. Links are encouraged.

CHAPEL HILL – For coach Roy Williams, part of North Carolina’s improvement as a whole is connected to improved role recognition from James Michael McAdoo and J.P. Tokoto. With the Tar Heels trying to find playing time in the post for their crowded rotation that includes Joel James, Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson, Desmond Hubert, Isaiah Hicks and even Jackson Simmons, the 6-foot-9 McAdoo shifts from power forward to small forward – and a spot on the wing – when Williams elects to go big with substitutions.

And that kind of sometimes-awkward lineup movement can send the 6-5 Tokoto from small forward to shooting guard, a spot where North Carolina particularly is lacking with P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald still in NCAA purgatory and unavailable.

“I think they’ve accepted it. I’m not sure that we’ve figured it out yet,” Williams said. “J.P. knows he’s going to spend some time at the ‘2.’ James Michael knows he’s going to spend some time at the ‘3.’
“I do think that they understand what we want them to do. It’s not a natural position for either one of them. I don’t think you can do that in nine games or whatever we’ve played. But they do understand it more.”

Excluding reserve guard Luke Davis, who played 78 seconds at the end of the first half, the Tar Heels used five players off the bench in Saturday’s defeat of Kentucky – Meeks, Johnson, Hubert, Hicks and Simmons, all 6-7 or taller, all accustomed to playing near the basket. McAdoo scored 20 points against Kentucky, his best output since Nov. 17, and attacked often, which resulted in 12 points on 19 free-throw attempts. He also added five rebounds and four assists, marking the first time in his 88-game career that he led the team in assists.

“As far as turning the page, that’s something we did a long time ago,” McAdoo said, referring to playing without Hairston and McDonald.

Tokoto, who dealt with second-half foul trouble, delivered his third double-digit scoring effort in four games with 15 points against Kentucky. The sophomore finished one point shy of his career high and also hit the fourth 3-pointer of his career. The victory Saturday was another satisfying one and meant that in a span of 21 days, North Carolina swept the top three teams from the preseason Associated Press poll. Louisville and Michigan State are the Tar Heels’ other recent conquests. Tokoto almost bristled after the Kentucky game when asked if the Tar Heels have discovered the proper way to use the current parts they have at their disposal.

“With P.J. and Leslie back, yeah, we’d be a lot better,” he said. “But without them right now, we have a great team. That’s what kind of pisses (ticks) us off, people trying to write us off because we don’t have our scorers. We can still do a lot of things without them.”